Il Postino Ha. You have a point though, it was called shell shock and it was "temporary" and they were just supposed to deal with it. If it got bad enough you were taken off the line
Il Postino no, the medical term for the condition hadn’t been invented yet. Truth is humans have always been haunted by war. Anyone who has seen war first hand knows that is the only truth. It’s funny how modern people trivialize ptsd though, to me it shows a level of ignorance that implies they have had a soft life themselves. Maybe if you endure hardship you’ll realize there is more to human psychology than simply just “being a man”.
😂 reminds me of my grandfather. They talked so calmly about the war but when they were speaking you could see the horror in their eyes. But got raised to never show any feelings of fear or weakness.
My grandpa was Sargent in the US Army he said when they captured German soldiers they would smoke cigarettes with them and his soldiers understood that they where all soldiers just fight for their country going though the same thing he always told us not every German was a Nazi it seems soldiers got that better than the government and the public respect to this man 🇺🇸🇩🇪
For all the people saying „why should we let this nazi speak“ You were not alive when all of this happened and unless you fought in a war as ruthless you have no right to disrespect this man. He tells us his side of the story, which contributes to more objectivity...a story shouldn‘t solely be told by its victors
I'm Canadian but my great grandfather was a German soldier and he died a POW in the south of France. He was not a Nazi, in fact he desired to be a Lutheran minister but the war interrupted his plans
www.google.com/amp/s/www.legacy.com/obituaries/saltlaketribune/obituary.aspx%3fn=manfred-gellersen&pid=196439824&fhid=19571 Here’s a link to the obituary
When I see this man, well, I just see an old man, a former soldier. Not a Nazi, not a criminal, just a content old man. As an American I can say that I respect this man.
The German military was consisted of numerous branches. Wehrmacht for example, or the SS (most of the nazis were SS) or paratroopers, or navymen. Nazi was basically a deragatory term for a political party which hitler was fond of and he pushed, it was a mixture of racial superiority and facism . most his soldiers were young brainwashed men
Prince Lorian have to remember, the troops were young, and many schools taught English after the war in Europe. My mom remembered the rats in the ruins after the war. My mom said the Soldiers were nice to the Folk in Norway, have the kids sweets, the officers, were another thing.
Erik Brown Yeah When Finland betrayed the Nazis some german troops were told to burn the northern cities of Finland but the soldiers didnt want to do it so thery had to send in the ss
A lot of German soldiers and officers went to America after the war. The American intelligence found them useful as potential spies and informants against the soviets during the cold war, even those that had commited war crimes were allowed to start a new life in the US.
Completely forgeting that most german soldiers were conscripted and had no choice but to fight... And what about all the inoccent germans that had nothing to do with the war? And what about the germans that opposed hitlr ? And how are jews stupid? The name Albert Einstein doesn't say anything to you?
Mark Miller you are so stupid that it hurts my brain reading your comment you want to see every german dead because of a nearly dead ideologie well then we should have the right to execute every american because the killed millions of native americans and you probably didn't know that it was law that every german man had to serve in the Wehrmacht every country has a dark past because humans are violent and powerhungry creatures and do you know whats really ironic you call this man a nazi piece of shit but you are the one who is asking for genocide i'm sure this man has done bad things during war but as you can see in the video he has changed he is talking to a american for fucks sake you have more in common with nazis then this man you dump fuck
Is he still doing good? Hope he doesnt get the covid. I would love to talk with him about his life you are very blessed to still have him around! All mine are gone to the other side
Breezy Mods if you referring to M26 90mm gun then no it was not better especially at longer distances than the 88mm but I do agree, Germans did make their equipment too hard to produce as to the Jumbo vs Tiger it was probably whoever shot first scenario 😊
The Jumbo is a piece of trash that couldn't mount serious fire power and only had excessive armor, could barely pen anything with that 105mm HOWITZER gun. As for the 88mm it was upgraded with a 122mm that could literally destroy any IS or Pershing. The Germans had the best.
He most likely did, it's the Winterschlacht im Osten medal, awarded for at least 14 days in Russia during the war. Or depending on which other fronts he fought he might have some other commemorative awards. The topic is highly interesting and by learning about the awards, you sometimes learn about distinguished individuals, worth a movie even. Unfortunately society isn't ready for that.
The stories of these German soldiers needs to be recorded and archived. A few years ago i was working with some Polish people and i asked them about their views on Germany and the wartime, one told me his grandfather would get regular knocks at his door by German soldiers who would buy food and milk etc.. Then when the Russians took over his door was kicked in and everything stolen.
Doesn't surprise me. I wish I was able to speak to my grandfather more... Only the dead do not see war. I love you grandfather. Polish Army... father of an American soldiers.
+Matt Taylor I advise you to read anything but comics, kid. Fortunately, reliable research results and no less reliable documents on the Internet is enough. By the way, under Stalin, my dear, the prisoners in the Soviet Union was less than in the US today. In the 30 years in prison in the Soviet Union was on average 583 people per 100 000 population (now in Russia this figure is 647 per 100 000 in the United States - more than 700). The death sentence in the Soviet Union for 30 years, been handed down about 700 thousand. Read not only cheap propaganda for morons, son.
Shame to see so many people with no instinct, they believe what the are told in the classroom and the history books and defend it, even go to war for it. Fools, poorsong is a prime example.
Wanna know the difference between a German rifleman and a US rifleman in 1944? Nothing. Both are young, answering a nation's call, fighting for their buddies. Two sides of the same coin.
Wrong. There is no moral equivalent between the axis powers and the allies. Though his story is compelling as an individual he fought for a great evil.
Centurion Coles So? Most SS divisions fought at the front along with the regular Wehrmacht forces. They didn't just hunt civilians behind the lines, lol.
As a US Army combat vet, it’s amazing for me to see and hear a German combat vet from WW2 talk like this. I’ve been so used to seeing black and white pictures and films, this shows his perspective, and how he’s even maintained his regulation haircut. I can tell he was a sharp looking guy back in his day. It makes you wonder about the guys like him that got trapped in it all.
If it works why change it, also i believe it makes him remember who he is somehow and maybe even reminds him of those times that made him the person he is today since war changes people you know
@@queasyislander0274 no, you're a fucking idiot, a nazi is someone who believes and performs national socialism, a german soldier is a person who serves their country because it it their duty to do so
The Cool thing about this guy is, he is a native German Speaker from Berlin, and he speaks english, just like he speaks german. My Grandfather fought in his Division.
Indigo Ism Depends on which part of WWII you reefer to. During their end they were certainly defending against threat to Germany, but in the beginning, not so much. You could say that they tried to attack Poland to then proceed to face invade the soviets, but that doesn't really explain the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact and it also ignores what Hitler said, which was that he wanted to invade Poland for more living space for the Germans, as their farming wasn't very effective and they needed a lot of land to farm
Indigo Ism To be honest it isn't the germans, but the Nazis that are seen as bad. For example, if you ask a history teacher about germans soldier (excluding the SS as always of course) they will most likely say that the german soldier didn't know what Germany was doing, in for example auchswitch and according to them they were only doing what was right for their country
@@philip_si I doubt that. He talks about fighting the Russians, not the Americans. He was probably armed with a MP38, MP40, MP18, or MP34 (most likely MP40). But, since he is talking to an American, "Tommy Gun" is the American term he probably knows for a Sub Machinegun, hence why he used it. If he was talking to a German, I bet he would say "Machinenpistole" instead.
@@Theakker3B He talks in quite fluent english.. Why discount his statement? The nazis had american automobiles and imported alot of american goods before the war.
Gamer punk fuck off you piss of shit, go eat your feminist propaganda and sjw bullshit and be proud about it. You call nazi every damn person opposing you shitty ideas, those were brave man that fought in ww2 you do realize an army doesn't start a war by themselves, they are ordered to do so, if the polish army was ordered to invade a country and kill the people of that country under the pretext of them being a lower class they would have done that, the army is the tool it's doesn't act by itself. We should be respectful of those that died in ww2 no matter the side they fought on, they died for some leader's twisted view of the world, they have been used as weapons to enforce their leader's ideas, you can't blame a solider for the war he wasn't the one starting it, he is the one fighting it.
Gamer punk Think i just detected a Sad Polish one, still hatin' Germans for a few idiots under command of a guy with a lil' mustage. That was 73 years ago, let it go. Sad Bitch.
Gamer punk You Poles caught the brunt of BOTH sides! Hate each side equally. To assume all Germans were "Nazi" is stupid and ridiculous. While many were Nazi, equally the amount were against the war and had ZERO options.. Same for the Russians.. Not sure if I feel that way for the Japanese tho.. Either way, today's Japanese had nothing to do with it..
Gamer punk The Wehrmacht were highly forbiddin to rape if they raped they were either sent to jail or executed. The ones who did rape were the disgusting communist pigs that destroyed everything.
My Grandfather who was a WWII vet died about a year ago, 1 day after he was awarded the French Legion medal. They were a better breed of men than today.
Salvador Borrazás Yes, and the things going on today here in America, and other parts of the West would not be allowed in their time. And the powers that be know this, and it is why they have waited for a time such as this to do the things they are doing. The men in the American Gov. are not men at all. They are thieves, robbers, and murders. There is no honor in what they do, and they care not what the people think. And this is because the people are weak, and honor less, and spineless. May God have mercy on the nations, and the people's of those nations, and the children of those nations. May the truth prevail.
+John Rider I'm not spineless, I'm not lacking in honor and I'm not weak. I am, however, American. I agree with all of your other comments yet I felt the need to speak up concerning such a generalization. People of other countries do exactly the same thing they've come to detest us for... The same thing they've come to detest ME for. I don't know any of you but strive to give everyone a chance to be their own man in my eyes. I'll stand next to any man, woman or child of any race, nationality, religion, creed, or government if I feel they're fighting for a just cause but I wonder... Will anyone (country, group or solitary person) come to the aide of the American Citizens my countrymen finally wake up and realize we've got to get our country back from the corrupt, tyrannical, soulless individuals running it? Or will I be left to fend for my daughter and myself due to the rest of the world's generalizations of Americans? We're not all cold hearted, greedy, warmongering imbeciles. Some of us are awake, aware and blind to the labels we've all put on each other as a species. As far as I'm concerned you're my brother and friend. May I have the same respect and my country be seen for what it is; an adolescent who need guidance and a hand up instead of negative criticism and a hand out?
Raymond J He is with God and my Grandmother now. His fight is over. But I will say, as far as I know he was the best man I ever met. So he did just what a Grandfather was suppose to do. Thank you.
An old german soilder once told me "Always be sure to polish the backs of your shoes because thats the last thing people see of you as your walking away" Old Hugo Hopfliecsh might have been on the wrong side in 43, but he was sharp as a tack.
Thats what we need to hear and see. The german soldier side, We need lots interviews with elderly ex german soldiers. Nazis or not. Who cares. A good soldier always does what he’s order to do. And the germans were excellent soldier , no one can denied that. Excellent soldiers
@@vanillavilla. Every country in the war is guilty of that. The US *firebombed* Japanese cities knowing that the cities were predominantly made of wood. Then there are the atrocities in Nanjing by the Imperial Japanese army. The Chinese had been busy fighting each other for years before fighting the Japanese then went back to fighting each other. No sides are guilt free in war. It's just that the losing side gets made out to be more guilty than the winning side.
Why the hate for the old man? He didn't start the war. Christ he was probably just some dumb 18-20 year old who was serving his people. You'd be a liar to say you wouldn't have done what he did.
in ww2, "Volunteered" means forced... all country, axis and allies do the same... forcing people to be part of his army and then call it "Volunteer", it's because for propaganda and promotion
My great-grandfather fought in the Afrika Korps alongside Rommel. He then was captured by the French and was kept as an POW. Later, he had to work at a french farm and came back to Germany quite lately in 1948. He never spoke badly about his fights against the British and French forces in Africa and never said a bad word about the people of the farm. He also came back well-fed :) The other great-grandfather rarely spoke about the war. He fought on the Eastern Front and was hold as an POW, too. He came back in 1946. Another story i like to tell is, that my grandfather and his friends, he was around 9-10 years old at the end of the war, was being attacked by a French airplane (could have been an American, though) when they were en route to the field. He told, that he saw a column of 5-6 planes in the air and one was coming back and attacked them two times. They were able to jump into the ditch of the road while their ox was shot by the fighterplane. After the war they found an ammunition dump in the forest near the town and played with the handgrenades. One of his friends lost an arm because he didn't threw the grenade away but instead he threw the bolt away. But he survived. Sometimes I saw the man walking around our town. So i just wanted to share these little anecdotes with you, so that they maybe never will be forgotten :)
My grandfather and his friends also played alot with amunition and grenades. At this time period after the war, alot of kids got killed by playing with ammo amd stuff like that... My grandfather was also one of the only survivors of his village, as ge broke his leg and got in the hospital at the other side of the village. The whole school with students, kids, teachers and parents were on the potatoe field that day. American bombers came and killed them all. He was one of the only kids who survived that attack. He told me that he went to the river which he always went to, but he couldnt see it anymore, because of the huge heap of dead people heaped along the river. He held a dead baby in his arms for hours because he thought he can still save the babys life by keeping it warm... This day had an huge impact in his life and changed him. He was 9 back then.
My grandfather lived in a german town in croatia (Yugoslavia). When the war started, a lot of partisans attacked their town and killed 6 men that were defending the town. But then the SS came and saved them so he was brought to Germany where he was later captured by the Russians. He was sent to a camp on the Polisch-Soviet border where he kept his grandad alive by stealing food from the Soviets. Due to the high deathcount in this camp, the Red Cross came and saved his live and the lives of many other family members and friends. But a lot of his family wasnt that lucky, he lost 2 uncles and 3 aunts in Yugoslavian camps and he always wants me to know that the germans werent the only bad guys in the war.
My grandmother's village got burned down by the Germans in the Invasion of Poland, and then right after the Russians started looting the place! There was this one Russian solider who tried to take this baby goat that they owned, and my grandma comes up right behind and shoves him onto the goats shit. She managed to get away by swimming across the river and lived in another village the rest of the war. She was only 14 when she did this. I mean.....I'm 14 and I don't think I'll ever be brave enough to do something like that.
Veterans are veterans This man was doing his job, his government ordered him to complete a task, his job was to complete that task no matter how he may or may have not felt about it. These were not monsters, they were men...they loved thier families and friends and had just as much to lose as the brave allied soldiers standing across from them.
My Grandad was a Captian in the USAAF, he was 22 and was a Squadron Leader. Flew B-17s over Italy. He lived in Virginia and I grew up in Florida, I moved to Virginia when I was 15, although on the other side of the state. I only saw my Grandad a handful of times. It was always like meeting a stranger. I've always been a "WW2 buff" and always wanted to speak with him about his experiences. I never had the nerve to ask him though. He died in February of 2015. Not long ago my Aunt told me Grandad had asked her one day, when I came up in a conversation and he learned that I loved WW2 history, why I never talked to him about it. I couldn't help but cry. I could have let his memories live on, just like you've done here. I will always regret not talking to the man. All I have are pictures, still moments in time. But I do cherish them.
Iron Gaming I have two ancestors that served in the military, my great uncle in the European theatre in ww2 and another in the Korean War. They both died well before I was born (2001) and I'm a little nervous to ask my Grandma about them. She showed me pictures of them and told me their names and the war they were in nothing else, I would however would like to know more by asking but I'm nervous
@@smockersbruvas11 Ask, just ask. If she doesn't want to share it at that time, she will tell you. In all likelihood though, she's waiting for you to ask or will tell you soon. If you don't, you'll be stuck wondering what you could've learned for years.
My grand grandfather was a SS Officer, i have no idea what he did in war, because he never spoke to my mom or grandmom about it, but my mom really loved him, because she said he was one of the funniest and kindest person she knew. I have no idea what he did during war and i will not excuse anything, but he still just was a human with dreams and mistakes like everyone else, not the evil!
War can force good people to do horrific things. my Granddad was a bomber pilot who was involved in the bombing of Dresden, I believe this haunted him until he died, I know the war have a huge impact on him due to stories from my mother(his daughter), but he was perhaps the greatest man I ever knew.
my grandpa was in WW2 when iam alone with him he always tell me about the war, but strangely he only tells me, not my mum dad or sister. but iam always so excited about what he has to tell..btw iam german
Lucpac De, youre very lucky. As someone told you already, recieve these stories, let them live through you and teach them to your children. Never let all of this knowledge and stories die.
My grandad was a polish or Ukrainian, he said when the Germans came to his village, they looked like super humans, they knew they was the best soldiers on the planet.
I spoke with a German WWII Soldier when I was stationed in Germany in 89. He was a POW and was sent to Montana and raved about the way he and his fellow soldiers were treated by the Americans. He was an amazing man.
One thing I read recently on Wikipedia was that over 600,000 Europeans not from Germany fought alongside the Germans trying to stop the Communists invading Europe. Norwegian, Spanish, Croatian, Dutch etc, and there was more non German Waffen SS units than German ones. Thats quite amazing, and is never mentioned in TV documentaries etc.
***** Most of the facts that people get from wikipedia is "rubbish". I don't see why people feel the need to TALK IN CAPS, but I digress... I didn't say that the particular article was wrong, I'm stating that in general, using wikipedia for facts is "rubbish". A couple of years ago I edited England's national football teams page for humor and what I edited stayed up for a while before they changed and locked it. For future reference, wikipedia (for the most part) is unreliable for overall facts.
My neighbor was Estonian. She spoke of the German Soldiers with the utmost respect. They were content when the Germans moved into the area. When the Russians moved in and pushed the Germans back, they made her fiance watch them rape her then they made her watch as they kill her fiance. When the Russians got pushed back again, she and other townspeople were snuck out on a German boat before the Russians retook the line. After Germany lost, she came to America as a refugee. This is fact and still brought her to tears so many years later.
Sean Gueco sorry, messed that up. They made him watch them rape her, then killed him. Pretty much a worst nightmare. They were very well off, so that made thrm a target.
***** I understand that. I have nothing against Russians, Germans, etc. It's our stupid leaders that suck, along with the rest of the government. I just wanted to put the German soldiers in a good light for a change. Germany has a very long and proud history, but all anyone ever judges them on is one 15 year period out of a millennium of proud history.
+Jkep Ihanc Why blame "mongols"? True, the Red Army was multinational, yet as far as I know Mongol people helped us to battle the fascist Japan in the Far East and on the Western fronts the Mongolian help was mostly with material and horses, not soldiers. Actually, our Mongolian allies' help came just as helpful as the Anglo-American lend-lease. So please don't mar the Mongol name right away, there could be immoral soldiers of any ethnicity and of Asian origin, yes, but blaming "Eastern nomads" first off - that seems to me like a bit too much like racist propaganda left-over in some minds.
+Matthew B This is why millions of refugee's fell with the Germans. It's a forgotten fact of history. When the Russians came to a town emptied they automatically claimed the Nazis murdered everyone but oddly enough most just didn't want to be under Russian Rule again. The Nazis had almost as meany refugee camps as they did concentration camps by the end of the war for example, for the flocks of people fleeing westward. At the end of the war the US and UK forcefully migrated millions back to Eastern Europe, a large percent of which ended up becoming victims of Stalin. As anyone who fled Russian occupation were considered enemies by the Soviets. Those that were not forcefully migrated ended up separated from the rest of their families for decades following the cold war. It's sad how many Jewish families were separated for example. They were having post cold war reunions which Jews who thought their entire families were murdered were in fact still alive, just stuck on the other side of the Iron curtain.
fireson23 well one document I saw said that "My men are making use of these German women, they don't even understand our language you just point your gun and shout lay down" now I'm not trying to say the Soviets were like barbaric men who pillaged and raped but some of them who usually were in the frontline were tired and needed pleasure
And if they listen for more than five seconds he straight up said “no the Nazis were off doing their own thing” Straight up telling them that they were two different parts
"I sometimes looked at these young men I killed, they were my age, I couldn't help but think in a different world at a different time, we could of been good friends." - my Great Grandfather who was a WW2 vet
I am a very patriotic American, but hearing other sides of the story is so interesting to me. No I don't have any hatred toward this man what so ever, I'm sure if I were to meet any other Nazi soldier and hear his stories, I'd need a big bag of popcorn. I mean for real though, many German soldiers were fighting for their country.
For real though. In cases of the German Officers, their service to Germany stems from the old Prussian Empire days and the historical significance of their service to their family more so than their country. Field Marshall's like Guderian, Manstien, and Rommel (I consider them the 4 Horsemen with Paulus) did not and could not know early on what was happening in Germany when they were busy in France, Russia, or in Rommel's case- Africa. Yet once they found the truth they advocated for Hitler's arrest and immediate trial. These men did not, AT the end, fight for Hitler but for Germany's right to survive and exist as a nation. I emphasize the word AT rather than IN because they did in fact swear oaths to Hitler which probably should've been their first clue that shit was about to go sideways. That however, is with the benefit of hindsight. The Whermact wasn't the most technologically superior, they didn't always have what they needed; particularly in Africa, but they were fierce, they were determined, they made everyone pay for every yard that was taken and I would like to believe that had they known what was happening and been in a position to do something about it, they would have. Even units of the SS knew better.
I'd love to meet with him and talk to him. He seems like a cool guy. I have uncles that fought in WW2 and sacrificed a lot for America during the war, but I'd still love to talk to this man.
***** You are ignorant to think that in my uncle's mind he knew he wasn't fighting for people's freedom. Whatever the political agenda that was trying to be pushed, the soldiers had nothing to do with it. And I don't care what you think because you're a loony conspiracy theorist.
You can see the joy on his face that an "enemy" cares and is listening to his story. Ally vets went through unimaginable hell and have been rightfully venerated as heroes since the war. Imagine going through the same horror and coming back to called the worst evil the world has ever known. Truth is they were both just kids put through things that no kid should ever have to see and hopefully by giving them both the chance to tell their stories no kid will again.
+Mio Naganohara I'm anti nazi. Fascism is a completely different social system. 'Brave' and disciplined germans staged two world wars and burned, hanged, stabbed to death millions and millions of women, children, old people ...
+Luke Baez These heroes have chosen Hitler democratically. These heroes attacked USSR and killed 27 million. More than 13 million of them - civilians. Heroes were burned, hanged, slaughtered civilians. Have died 15% of German POWs and 56% of Russians. More numbers, cretin? Russian now have the right to convert all Europeans in clouds of stinking smoke. It will happen very soon , Im sure.
+Nationalstolz2012 Russian civilians died because the Germans killed them, it's simple. Just killed. Russian were burnt alive, hanged, expelled from their homes in the winter, starved to death. Who could, he ran away, who do not have time, he often was doomed. It's not some sort of "tactics of stalin," it was a strategy of the germans - the destruction of all russian. It saves a lot of documents that confirm this truth. This strategy also was performed by "brave German soldiers." By the way, the destruction of russian POWs, you also explain the "tactics of Stalin"? I attribute this to the fact that the germans, it is immoral animals.
+PoorSong do have some guidlines and manual how you comment here? You surely can't believe that yourself. How much do they pay you for one comment? 50 rubles?
many german/austrian ww2 vets, like my grandfather, dont talk about the war. my grandfather would never do that. His 2 borthers died in the war and when he was 16 the nazis came and wanted him for the so called "Volkssturm" to fight. They hided him on the haystacks. My other grand-grandfather was in stalingrad. Lost an eye but he survived. They would never talk about that. And im also too afraid to ask them.
Have always wondered how these old men managed to live on after their (often) extremely brutal experiences. And besides the PTSD, imagine the extreme and lifelong tinnitus they probably all suffer from. Months or years of shooting and explosions necessarily must have completely ruined their hearing.
I met one man who was a Vietnam vet and he loved everything about America. I was 21 years old and had to get away from home for a bit, new environment so I could get my life together, basically. There were some nice ladies who welcomed me and told me the ins and outs of the place, helped me with my suitcase and bag of food, all that. I was on the second floor where there was an open balcony right outside of my room and two doors down was a rough looking guy, aged skin, smoking a cigarette. I asked one of the ladies who that man was and they said, ''That's Vin. He's been here a long time. He's not a big talker and doesn't like to talk too much about Vietnam.'' I stayed for a few weeks and came out one day with a bag of laundry. Vin was outside, leaning on the rail and just looking out. Before I headed downstairs, he spoke. I'll never forget the conversation: ''You know, I stand outside your room at night. Crazy part of town no kid needs to be in and you're too young for trouble like the people that go by here. I got a feeling about you when I saw those tags around your neck (my grandfather's dog tags from the war)'' I put my bag by my door and went over to him. He didn't look at me. ''My grandfather..he and his brother were in the navy during '45. They were both Slovenian and at risk of deportation. I don't want to forget...he's not here anymore.'' ''You got respect most kids..and I'd say you look 18..kids don't have. Sometimes I wondered if it was worth it.Then I see you.'' ''Some ladies told me you were in Vietnam. Was it bad?'' ''Bad enough that I get nightmares too often, boy. All that death and people suffering is still here.'' He tapped his head. ''I still see it.'' ''If it's any consolation for you, sir, I appreciate what you've done for us and I thank you for your service. It means a lot to me.'' He finally looked at me and his eyes were so old, it was like looking at a person who lived a thousand years. He took a moment before speaking, this time quietly, ''When I got that feeling about you and seein' those things around your neck, I wanted to protect...that's why I stand outside your door at night..to look out for ya. Seeing a young face like yours and the respect you have...makes me feel like what I did was all worth it.''
"King Tiger, that was quite a machine" you can hear that he is still impressed by the tank, with some amazement in his voice. Very touching to hear that. He's still young in his soul.
+Dave Batista Germans were Germans. Nazis were Nazis that were from Germany. Not all Germans then we're Nazis. Learn about history before you criticize these men
Nathan Hoagland Nazis were freaking German! German were freaking nazis. Germans invaded Poland in 1939. Germans who believed in nazi ideology. There was no such thing as Nazi nation.
My grand grand father was captured by the russians and saw his 41 comrades starve to death while he only survived because he was a good tailor and made suits for the soviet camp leader.
unfortunately i didnt, he died way before i got born. he also never talked about it after he got released, the only thing he left was a letter to his family describing everything he experienced in the war and the time in the soviet pow camp.
Thanks for the upload ! It's good to hear accounts of bothsides My Grandpa was in the 3rd Canadian army as a Lance bombardier (Artillary) at once point in the war he was shot in the arm And in a field hospital made friends with a German solider laying in bed next to him The solider did not speak english and my Grandpa didn't speak German But the both spoke French They both talked about home and the first thing they would have for dinner The German : My mother makes a great soup with fish and dill and potatos ! If you ever come to Hamburg she will make you a plate. My Grandpa said : Chicken with mash potatos and peas and gravy and a pint of beer If you come to Northern Ontairo you will see moose and Bears while we fish...German : I would like that every much. What my Grandfather didn't know was the German was hit in by shrapel and the force smashed his body He was bleeding inside still..The solider "Fell asleep" and never woke up..This was the story i was told when i was young ..Grandpa passed away when i was 15... Years later I took out some old photo albums And many black and white pictures One caught my eye Picture of a house Signed : Achen family home Hamburg 1946 On the next page of the Photo album a piece of paper with writing : Mecklenburger Fischsuppe (Mecklenburg Fish Soup) 6 potatoes diced 4 onions 1 small head white cabbage5 tbsp olive oil 1/2 cup vegetable broth 1-1/8 lbs cod Dorsch 5 tbsp flour 1 cup milk dill 2 bay leaves salt and pepper I called my Mom and told her what i found ..She said Your grandfather flew back to Germany after the war and found the home and the mother and gave her Her son's watch He kept it because it would of been stolen from him otherwise It was a gift from his father that died in a bombing My grandfather talked about "Otto" and the last moments She was Sad and happy the two met He then went all over Hamburg looking for the items for the soup and alittle more for her after he left.. She made it for him and had told him ..Thank you for giving me the last moments No one ever told me how he died or what happen I always dreaded he was hurt and suffered in a field somewhere alone Please take this recipe
I'm going to make this soup. My grandfather was Infantry WW2, and I worked with many WW vets: Pacific Navy, Okinawa infantry, Airborne in Italy. All GREAT men. And a very good friend for many years was born during bombing in Berlin, his mother was Hitler youth and his father an officer in SS. His mom at 82 made some traditional cookies once....HOLY COW were they incredible. What a waste of beautiful human beings , animals, buildings and resources WW2 was.
A lot of people don't realize that a lot of the German soldiers were drafted.. they didn't have a choice, but they also had to fight to support their families and lives.
The vast majority was drafted. Imagine having to fight for a cause you might even oppose. But even if you're on the wrong side, what you're really fighting for is your life and the lives of your comrades.
No matter what side you’re on, a soldier that fights for his country has my respect. This man is just like every other old WW2 vet who was drafted at a young age and did what he was told. His experiences and wisdom is just as important as an American WW2 vet. I wish I could meet every one of them, sit down and talk about their time in the war, and the role they played.
Mathew Willis Alright you limey what do you think and effective soilder at that time period had at that time, that's right a gun. So the allies outnumbered the axis. But the outgunned the Allies with superior firepower, yet less numbers. Two different terms. Are you starting to understand? Christ...
Mathew Willis jesus christ, you're obviously not a troll. it's so obvious you just realized you were wrong and now you're scrambling to regain some sort of weight for your argument
The eastern Europe literally fought for their existence and this general said that "we have defeated the wrong enemy" at the end of war? don't make me laugh
@@darkknightbatman8269 Yes indeed they fought for their existence against the Soviets. Especially the Baltic states and Ukraine. Pretty much every country from the Eastern Bloc. I'll concede Poland got the short end of the stick as they were ganged by both the Germans and Russians. The Western powers started war over it and what did they do at the end? Betrayed Poland and left her to the commies.
My Oma (Dutch) was little when she lived in occupied Holland during the war. SHE WOULD NEVER of thought that the Germans were evil nazi bastards until she heard about these so called "War Crimes" after the war. She said that the hardest part of the war was the shortages in food, she was always hungry. She also mentioned that the German soldiers had a good relationship with the Dutch, During the war her father owed a carpentry factory and sometimes German soldiers would come in and use the machines and afterwards give her family some food to say thx. She also told me about this other time nearly at the end of the war (march april 1945?), when the German troops were retreating out of Holland. One German troop was left in a small town waiting to be picked up and came into her house to talk to my Oma's family. He showed them a key and said that this was the only thing that he had left of his home in Germany because it had been bombed to pieces by allied air raids.
The Germans committed some pretty barbaric war crimes too, don't just pin it on the Soviets. However most of the soldiers from both Armies were honorable men.
***** Funny thing is that Dutch only speak about the bombing Rotterdam, while other cities were bombed as well. The city Vlissingen was even the city that was bombed most during the entire war of all cities of The Netherlands. On the 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th and 15th of may Vlissingen was bombed by the Germans. After the capitulation the allies started bombing Vlissingen. During the war the city was bombed a total of 71 times. After the war there was only one home in the entire city that was not damaged by bombs. All these bombings were strategically important, so was the bombing of Rotterdam. There is a reason these bombings are not considered as warcrimes. Bombing happens during a war, that's the sad truth. About the warcrimes in Putten, I really doubt every wehrmacht soldier agreed with that and probably only the soldier who were there at the moment knew about it. And by the way. How are you so sure the civilians were aryan? And if they were why did you even mention it?
CrazyTill My grand father was a teen while over there and joined the Korean war to get citizenship. Over in Europe he's told me fucked up stories about family killing family and friends out of fear. He has never slept good and always wakes up and patrols his house. He say bodies stacked up at least 2 stories high and saw a lil girl get blown up by a mortar he's seen executions. I have like 20 hrs of his life story that he recorded
Jason Crooked Yea.. but mine never talked to us.. But also a reason for this was, my father got disinherited because he didn't ask him if he could marry my mom..
Vladimir Makarov Yes he was in Russian war captivity.. So one out of 3 survived..he said one time. A fellow said to him, he should torn off the SS-logo from his uniform, or he would get executed.. Sorry for my English I am young.
Stutts No it wasn't you idiot. They had the same tasks like the Wehrmacht at the Front but only in areas with alot of action. They just acted more cruler! Now, shut up and inform yourself!
As we all know that it is always the victors who write their historic version of any war, which is why it's very important that we listen to the stories of ordinary soldiers from both sides as this is where the true story resides. I feel fortunate to hear from this veteran and really hope to hear more from him soon. Thank You for this!
My great grandfather served in the MP during WW2, he lived in Narvik, a place up in the north part of Norway that got hit hard by the Germans, as he told me his most disturbing moments, when i found a German guard at a guard post frozen to death, looked like a teenager, he just sat there, he also killed a German, shot in the lower back close range, he said at the time he didn't think much about it, the adrenaline and the survival instinct kicked in, but there was a moment during this tragedy briefly after he shot him, he sat down on his knees, all confused and dizzy, it's against all logic and rationality to shot and kill someone that probably has a family at home and that didn't do anything to harm you, he didn't speak about it much, i can count on my hands of how many times he did, usually after some drinks,. He also added that he has no hate towards the Germans, and he felt saddened after all those years, thinking about that young man who had his life ended, men who was sent to war little to know what to come, heck there are plenty of evidence that shows German and Norwegian forces staying together to stay warm and help each other to stay alive during the war, imagine all those unofficial stories that never saw the light.
Well the Germans never wanted to take over Norway.Sweden was giving Germany resources,to stop this the Allies tried to go to Norway and mined their waters,so Hitler ordered his soldiers to occupy Norway so that the Allies can't do anything further and to keep his supply of resources
@@erxfav3197 What do you mean why?For profit of course. Sweden and Norway were profiting from selling to the Germans,they made money from that.The Brits demanded that they stop but they refused because they had no intention of getting involved in their political games,so the Brits started sending their troops and destroying and German ships nearby.The Germans noticed this and then attacked the allies and occupied Norway to stop the British influence and keep their resources secure.
Thanks for uploading. I'm German and my grandfather was a POV in Norway, he never talked about the war, at all and I never even dared asking him out of respect. It's really great I get the chance to listen to this witness's account.
@@leonelchavez6747 Lost a War against the biggest Nations from every direction and have withstood despite the outnumbered enemies and the first lost war.
E W shut the fuck up you degenerate head ass. Show some respect he fought a war which is hell I'm sure if you were fighting in a war you would be shitting yourself.
I maintain: if the world was just kinder to Germany in the 19th century, and accepted its genius and thoroughness, and the fact of shifting powers on the world scene, all the misery of 2 world wars did not need to happen. There was to much egotism, aspecially in good ol' Britain. In reality, I believe we owe a lot to Germany.
@Osman Carrim I just couldn't believe how could Germany recover from a lost world war and a global great depression and make probably 4 countries fear Germany note I'm egyptian
Your rationalization for murdering 10 million of their own citizens because countries were not playing patty cake with the Germans. LOL, go salute your reproduction nazi flag.
@@Anti-leftist7777 He's talking about how unfair the Allies were after WW1 when they for example demanded Germany to pay ridiculous amount of war reparations from a war they didnt even start themselves. That eventually led to WW2 but thats not the point here. The Allies pretty much gave seeds to Germany's agressive rebirth because of those unjustified demands Allies made them after WW1. Honestly, it couldve easily been possible that if UK, US, France etc wouldve been much more forgiving about WW1, WW2 wouldve never happened.
"I hate war as only a soldier who has lived it can, only as one who has seen its brutality, its stupidity." - Dwight D. Eisenhower I'm sure this man can relate.
german soldiers,the ones that did not commit war crimes,were the best soldiers in the world,period.They cunducted the best counter attacks in history all the while most of the time after stalingrad being outnumbered,also they could mount fighting retreats like no other army could under the worst of circumstances both tatctically and strategically so they have nothing to be ashamed off or feel guilty about if they just were there to fight and the overwhelming majority were.
Bro the german army lost the war because they could not afford a two front war with the limited resources they had,hell in terms of oil,wood,ect the us had virtually unlimited amounts of resources long before they fought ww2,germany on the other hand had been economically destroyed during ww1 and the depression,ww2 came just hecause of this,the german needed both living space and the resources of countries like Romania for the oil they needed ect.From 1943 after stalingrad the germans were practically on the diffence because the heavy strategic bombings destroying germam manufacture,cities ect.So to maintain the fronts holding for the time that they did,its testimony to the capabilities of its soldiers and officers and equipment that were all of best in the world quality but not in the best quantity.Imagine the german army in 1943,with 10,000 panthers,5000 tigers 1/2 & 10000 panzer 4s in front line Sweerpunkt forces,and have reserves of 20000 more all types it comes to tank park of 40,000 tanks,the us and russia had 100,000 btwn them 100,000+,T-34s/ Shermans,do the math.German generals were all professional and gave their non comms complete freedom of movement and choosing of routes to aprroach a target.Their tank had fm radios,russians didn't have as much as a intercomm on their T-34s.So like i said the germans know battle and in ww2 made miracles where other better equipped but under trained soldiers would have died or be captured in encirclement after encirclement
Ben Clark lol what? tiger 2 , panther 1+2 was lightyears ahead of anything the us had to offer. the limiting factor was the ressources. they couldnt make good steel in the end and the lack of gas was horrible.
amoredfist those tanks sure had a big gun and heavy armor, but they broke down alot. Just because they could win in a tank battle doesnt mean they were effective. The sheman was a fast reliable tank that was great for offensive attack across europe. it was way more reliable and effective, which is more important for judging the better tank.
Ben Clark reliability had to do with the lack of resources buddy. any fight the tigers had been in they fucked up everything. and the panther wsnt unreliable at all, that was all about the engine of the tiger h. the sherman can be compared to the panzer 4 h, which itself was an old design but still effective. the sherman was more of a light tank, no match for the panther or tiger.
@@EusebiusAT you're telling me the article I sent you is wrong when you have no idea what it's about lol I see how it is somebody that wants to talk positive about the Civil War in the South they're automatically wrong maybe you need to understand that Victor's writes the history. And send me a Wikipedia link is the most laughable thing I've ever seen being that half of the stuff on there is false information that also includes the shit that schools and colleges teach
@@EusebiusAT I know what a liberal is wants to destroy our history destroy our culture and that's what you are. you don't want to reason with anything any information that somebody send you automatically tell them they're wrong just because once again if it's something positive about the southern side they're there racist which makes you more like a Nazi
Inglejuice just because one side said so doesn’t make it true . Many things don’t make sense the way their told , I can conclude that just by listening to the allies stories
Inglejuice Jesus isn’t real either but I bet u got that outta ur books also . It’s funny when u have nothing to say u start insulting . Don’t just read the bs propaganda they been feeding u since birth , read all of it and if it still doesn’t make u change ur mind , a mirror is better suited for the comment u made
Most interesting thing about my life, My Grandfather was a Nazi in WWII on my father side and on my mother side my Grandfather was a marine in WWII. They were actually friends after the war. I would give anything to see them both again.
Damn I miss my grandfather :( he used to tell me story’s about the war all the time :( and back in school while I was studying ww2 at school he once stayed up all night and wrote me a 15 page acount of his experiences during the war to take in :(
Great video. My grandpa and I used to talk a lot about his Navy experience in WWII. I never thought once to record him as he was telling his stories... That would have been really nice to go back and listen to.
My grandfather on my moms side was a German soldier, my dads side an American soldier. When they got to drinking and talking to each other it was really neat as a kid to listen to. They each had the utmost respect for one another, and it showed. In fact I think there were very few men they respected more, if any.
![[UNCUT] หวั่นขาดความเชื่อมั่น ศาล รธน. วินิจฉัยคดีถอนถอนนายกฯ เศรษฐา | คนดังนั่งเคลียร์ | 14 ส.ค. 67](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/8hKvQe_vh3o/mqdefault.jpg)
"They had that big gun, the 88mm, you can shoot anything, one shot, no hocus pocus." Best description of a Tiger tank ever.
.
hahahahha indeed the best description... :)
Eric The King Tiger used a purpose built anti-tank gun. The 88 on the original Tiger used a reengineered flak 88 gun.
Very accurate
true, erwin rommel was briliant. he was the first who just used the flac to kill tanks a
"Even the Russians had the mongols, I saw them" Holy crap, this guy survived the Eastern Front.
damn, i missed that part? how the fuck could he not have ptsd? the eastern front was harsh.
Il Postino Ha. You have a point though, it was called shell shock and it was "temporary" and they were just supposed to deal with it. If it got bad enough you were taken off the line
ah, yes. forgive me for forgetting that.
Bryan Barcelo I think he was a rear line, based on what he said about driving a truck to get ammo.
Il Postino no, the medical term for the condition hadn’t been invented yet. Truth is humans have always been haunted by war. Anyone who has seen war first hand knows that is the only truth. It’s funny how modern people trivialize ptsd though, to me it shows a level of ignorance that implies they have had a soft life themselves. Maybe if you endure hardship you’ll realize there is more to human psychology than simply just “being a man”.
“The king tiger, quite the machine. It had the big 88mm gun, one shot that’s all it took, no hocus pocus!”
I love this man
😂 reminds me of my grandfather. They talked so calmly about the war but when they were speaking you could see the horror in their eyes. But got raised to never show any feelings of fear or weakness.
Gaijin: *no*
But they were produced in small numbers and had quite a bit of mechanical problems
@@030_flowa3 Sasha,can you tell me about your grandpa story 😊
@@ussvincent1119 Wargaming: we didn't penetrate their armor
My grandpa was Sargent in the US Army he said when they captured German soldiers they would smoke cigarettes with them and his soldiers understood that they where all soldiers just fight for their country going though the same thing he always told us not every German was a Nazi it seems soldiers got that better than the government and the public respect to this man 🇺🇸🇩🇪
Almost no Germans were actually REAL Nazis my dude
se ss youre stupid i see
@se ss you have no clue what you're talking about.
Thats not how brad pitt would have done it
America never got invaded and had its civilians killed by Germans, so yeah, no shit they were all buddy buddy
For all the people saying „why should we let this nazi speak“
You were not alive when all of this happened and unless you fought in a war as ruthless you have no right to disrespect this man.
He tells us his side of the story, which contributes to more objectivity...a story shouldn‘t solely be told by its victors
Thomas Autengruber well said
My grandfather fought against the damn nazis in Russia and then they got til Berlin.
Wonder how many good allied troops died at the hands of this guy?
Fernando Delgado well said
"Those who forget history, are doomed to repeat it." - George Santayana
These types of recordings are priceless.
Agree. Piece of history that nobody tells you
And we are running out of chances to get them...
@@zaikolebolsh5724 Now with coronavirus that targets old people bye bye WW2 veterans. :'(
I'm Canadian but my great grandfather was a German soldier and he died a POW in the south of France. He was not a Nazi, in fact he desired to be a Lutheran minister but the war interrupted his plans
So sad.
R. i. p
RIP, Manfred Gellerson :( Thank you for sharing your invaluable stories
HES GONE NOOoo he was so cool
🤍🤍🤍🕊🕊🕊
www.google.com/amp/s/www.legacy.com/obituaries/saltlaketribune/obituary.aspx%3fn=manfred-gellersen&pid=196439824&fhid=19571
Here’s a link to the obituary
At least he lived a full life
He was a Mormon. Wow!
The Germans have such a way with words. No nonsense, words that are to the bone and with meaning!
because they are brave men. Great holy men.
Indigo Ism
Well said, are you Indian?
Watch Ryder nope. Pure Aryan decedent.
So, you're from Iran?
I think he means European / Persian descent so possibly....
When I see this man, well, I just see an old man, a former soldier. Not a Nazi, not a criminal, just a content old man. As an American I can say that I respect this man.
what is nazi ?
A soldier in service to Germany during World War II.
Cancer Carl A nazi is a derogatory term for National Socialist
A POS. A mass murderer of unarmed innocent civilians.
The German military was consisted of numerous branches. Wehrmacht for example, or the SS (most of the nazis were SS) or paratroopers, or navymen. Nazi was basically a deragatory term for a political party which hitler was fond of and he pushed, it was a mixture of racial superiority and facism . most his soldiers were young brainwashed men
Mad respect to this man he fought for his country and doesn't regret one moment of it.
I might regret fighting for a nazi racist , but definitely wouldn’t regret fighting for America
Mark P. Ray Jackson
Yeah what genocide is that buddy?
@@LiftYagami en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_war_crimes
Just look.
@@austinc8539 lol patton said after the war that we fought the wrong enemy LOL
@@LiftYagami another ignorant fool i see
"I ran the fastest mile ever back to the German infantry" Lol
His english is really good.
Prince Lorian have to remember, the troops were young, and many schools taught English after the war in Europe.
My mom remembered the rats in the ruins after the war.
My mom said the Soldiers were nice to the Folk in Norway, have the kids sweets, the officers, were another thing.
Most people from Europe learned English young.
Erik Brown Yeah When Finland betrayed the Nazis some german troops were told to burn the northern cities of Finland but the soldiers didnt want to do it so thery had to send in the ss
my guess is that he has been living in the US for many years
A lot of German soldiers and officers went to America after the war. The American intelligence found them useful as potential spies and informants against the soviets during the cold war, even those that had commited war crimes were allowed to start a new life in the US.
I could sit for hours listening to his stories..
William Decker fuck you squidbilly ass dude
but he should speak german so i can understand it better my grandpa tolt me some crazy storys
Don't listen to Mark miller he's a psychopathic killer that just wants to kill everyone!
Completely forgeting that most german soldiers were conscripted and had no choice but to fight... And what about all the inoccent germans that had nothing to do with the war? And what about the germans that opposed hitlr ? And how are jews stupid? The name Albert Einstein doesn't say anything to you?
Mark Miller you are so stupid that it hurts my brain reading your comment you want to see every german dead because of a nearly dead ideologie well then we should have the right to execute every american because the killed millions of native americans and you probably didn't know that it was law that every german man had to serve in the Wehrmacht every country has a dark past because humans are violent and powerhungry creatures and do you know whats really ironic you call this man a nazi piece of shit but you are the one who is asking for genocide i'm sure this man has done bad things during war but as you can see in the video he has changed he is talking to a american for fucks sake you have more in common with nazis then this man you dump fuck
happy to report to everybody that manfred is still alive and well.
Happy to hear that 😊
Is he still doing good? Hope he doesnt get the covid. I would love to talk with him about his life you are very blessed to still have him around! All mine are gone to the other side
To think he was just a kid with no idea he would be doing an interview like this someday. Blessings
@Dave Ad I'm sorry to say but I'm pretty sure he is dead, I think he died in 2020.
How about now? Is he doing well right now?
Unfortunately, Manfred Gellersen passed away Jun 26 2020, Rest In Peace to a brave soldier who fought for his country.
Why Did you tell us that now I’m sad he sounded so cool
his hair is awesome
+Roland LFC Trumpish.
my grandpa has the same haircut today....its normal in Germany ;)
not only in Germany this style comes back every few years for men
It is very difficult even for germans to make something better which is still very very good.
Mr. Arnold
Yeah, but it was just the hairstyle of that time...
"88mm, you can shoot anything, one shot, that's it. No hokus pokus" XD
Calisto Lin ditto, slick wasn't it?
Calisto Lin superior German engineering man
Neithon expect kv tank
Breezy Mods if you referring to M26 90mm gun then no it was not better especially at longer distances than the 88mm but I do agree, Germans did make their equipment too hard to produce as to the Jumbo vs Tiger it was probably whoever shot first scenario 😊
The Jumbo is a piece of trash that couldn't mount serious fire power and only had excessive armor, could barely pen anything with that 105mm HOWITZER gun. As for the 88mm it was upgraded with a 122mm that could literally destroy any IS or Pershing. The Germans had the best.
He is a old soldier, no matter which side he HAD TO fight for, he made it through it and deserves respect
This man deserves a medal just for surviving a harsh war
He most likely did, it's the Winterschlacht im Osten medal, awarded for at least 14 days in Russia during the war. Or depending on which other fronts he fought he might have some other commemorative awards. The topic is highly interesting and by learning about the awards, you sometimes learn about distinguished individuals, worth a movie even. Unfortunately society isn't ready for that.
@@ApeSheet387 no you're the one who deserve hell you uneducated dumbass
@@zaid1169 weaboos go to hell btw
@@zaid1169 you think any nazis would respect some loser with anime profile pictures 💀
@@ApeSheet387 y e s
The stories of these German soldiers needs to be recorded and archived. A few years ago i was working with some Polish people and i asked them about their views on Germany and the wartime, one told me his grandfather would get regular knocks at his door by German soldiers who would buy food and milk etc.. Then when the Russians took over his door was kicked in and everything stolen.
+Derk Berk act like u are used to
Doesn't surprise me. I wish I was able to speak to my grandfather more... Only the dead do not see war.
I love you grandfather. Polish Army... father of an American soldiers.
+Matt Taylor
I advise you to read anything but comics, kid. Fortunately, reliable research results and no less reliable documents on the Internet is enough. By the way, under Stalin, my dear, the prisoners in the Soviet Union was less than in the US today. In the 30 years in prison in the Soviet Union was on average 583 people per 100 000 population (now in Russia this figure is 647 per 100 000 in the United States - more than 700). The death sentence in the Soviet Union for 30 years, been handed down about 700 thousand.
Read not only cheap propaganda for morons, son.
Shame to see so many people with no instinct, they believe what the are told in the classroom and the history books and defend it, even go to war for it. Fools, poorsong is a prime example.
+Derk Berk That's right, Derk, you should trust to Hollywood, but not stupid scientists. So go on, son.
I like how he's still sporting the traditional German haircut. Great video.
JBP 568 in Germany Nobody have this haircut
Klaus Jürgen haha, ich hab den.
No difference from todays haircuts tbh. All those undercuts and what not
Bauer Gustav trendsetter:D
Klaus Jürgen ne viele alte Männer haben den
"88 millimeter. You can shoot anything and it works. One shot, that's it. No hocus pocus."
Single most German and badass quote ever.
Wanna know the difference between a German rifleman and a US rifleman in 1944?
Nothing. Both are young, answering a nation's call, fighting for their buddies. Two sides of the same coin.
@@renatosousa2401 and Hitler wanted to enslave as many nations as he could.
@@lastactionmedic5677 i wasn't in Israelia but i am from germany and we have very attractive women so i would say you are wrong
sgtdanny69148 yeah, Jewish pornographic magazines and communism books, I would also burn and ban that shit in my nation
Wrong. There is no moral equivalent between the axis powers and the allies. Though his story is compelling as an individual he fought for a great evil.
Keith Garland What evil are you referring to?
like this becuse it's important to get both perspectives on a major war
Centurion Coles So? Most SS divisions fought at the front along with the regular Wehrmacht forces. They didn't just hunt civilians behind the lines, lol.
yeah thats the point, you only see the allied side... there are always 2sides
someone who killed people is not a hero in my opinion
Salo so you dont think the men who went to die for their countries are heroes?
Salo How naive.
I always found German hair styles to be awesome.
+Kuldar Lepp The blond beasts
Yeah the pompadour is cool
+Mauricio Sanchez Not a pompadour
but it still look cool, don't you think?
+kumachi Very cool. The germans had a nice aesthetic
I don’t even care what side. WWII veterans need to be listened to.
As a US Army combat vet, it’s amazing for me to see and hear a German combat vet from WW2 talk like this. I’ve been so used to seeing black and white pictures and films, this shows his perspective, and how he’s even maintained his regulation haircut. I can tell he was a sharp looking guy back in his day. It makes you wonder about the guys like him that got trapped in it all.
I love how he kept his old haircut
Everybody did my grandfather was at the Russian front too when he was captured. He had this haircut until his death a couple years ago.
If it works why change it, also i believe it makes him remember who he is somehow and maybe even reminds him of those times that made him the person he is today since war changes people you know
MrManKunt it looks great
@@pellepotatis3400 in what way (does it change people) ?
or what have you seen/heard?
Its every German soldier Haircut
Haha he still has his WWII haircut
Hahaha its actually a good looking haircut though!!
hahaha..I am thinking the same thing about his hair..!!:)hes still got that hairsttyle..but that hairstyle is currently in trend too.
***** it is an awesome haircut looks amazing on Brad Pitt too ( movie Fury)
Hugh G. Erichawn EVERY man at his age in Germany has this haircut. Nothing special.
Friedrich Schmidt I have Always loved it!
Virgins : he's a Nazi
Chads : He's a german soldier!
Nazi is all you can call a worthless German soldier
@@queasyislander0274 You are just jealous he is everything your family could never produce. 💩
@@queasyislander0274 no, you're a fucking idiot, a nazi is someone who believes and performs national socialism, a german soldier is a person who serves their country because it it their duty to do so
if he wasn't part of the party itself and never belonged to any of the Branches of the SS, then he wasn't a nazi
@@danielburden7373 atleast someone has done their research and come . Thank you for saying this .
My grandfather fought in WW2 in the Pacific. He died in 1972, so I never got to ask him about the war. I wish I'd had the chance.
Many Ameri can veterans never talked about their experiences. Too painful.
My grandpa was a german... died when my mum was 17
The Cool thing about this guy is, he is a native German Speaker from Berlin, and he speaks english, just like he speaks german. My Grandfather fought in his Division.
Most people forget the german army was conscripted a lot these guys were just normal men who had no choice but to fight
+Connor Thompson Most outside the SS didn't even know much of the atrocities committed by Germany. To them they were only defending their country.
+Edward Karlsson they were.
Indigo Ism Depends on which part of WWII you reefer to. During their end they were certainly defending against threat to Germany, but in the beginning, not so much. You could say that they tried to attack Poland to then proceed to face invade the soviets, but that doesn't really explain the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact and it also ignores what Hitler said, which was that he wanted to invade Poland for more living space for the Germans, as their farming wasn't very effective and they needed a lot of land to farm
+Edward Karlsson you gotta point there but yeah I still believe the Germans weren't as evil as they are portrayed in the public eye.
Indigo Ism To be honest it isn't the germans, but the Nazis that are seen as bad. For example, if you ask a history teacher about germans soldier (excluding the SS as always of course) they will most likely say that the german soldier didn't know what Germany was doing, in for example auchswitch and according to them they were only doing what was right for their country
"I had a Tommy Gun" That is probably the only English name he knows for a sub-machine gun.
Or he broke a rule and used the enemies weapons.
He'd probably remember the model of weapon he used so he could have used its model name..
Or he knows more of what weapons went where during the war than we do...
@@philip_si I doubt that. He talks about fighting the Russians, not the Americans. He was probably armed with a MP38, MP40, MP18, or MP34 (most likely MP40). But, since he is talking to an American, "Tommy Gun" is the American term he probably knows for a Sub Machinegun, hence why he used it. If he was talking to a German, I bet he would say "Machinenpistole" instead.
@@Theakker3B
He talks in quite fluent english.. Why discount his statement? The nazis had american automobiles and imported alot of american goods before the war.
Ford V-3000 Luftwaffe was one of them...
My father and grandfather both fought in WW2. They had the utmost respect for the German armed forces. No More Brother Wars!
this old soldier is awesome man
Gamer punk fuck off you piss of shit, go eat your feminist propaganda and sjw bullshit and be proud about it. You call nazi every damn person opposing you shitty ideas, those were brave man that fought in ww2 you do realize an army doesn't start a war by themselves, they are ordered to do so, if the polish army was ordered to invade a country and kill the people of that country under the pretext of them being a lower class they would have done that, the army is the tool it's doesn't act by itself. We should be respectful of those that died in ww2 no matter the side they fought on, they died for some leader's twisted view of the world, they have been used as weapons to enforce their leader's ideas, you can't blame a solider for the war he wasn't the one starting it, he is the one fighting it.
Gamer punk Think i just detected a
Sad Polish one, still hatin' Germans for a few idiots under command of a guy with a lil' mustage. That was 73 years ago, let it go. Sad Bitch.
Gamer punk
You Poles caught the brunt of BOTH sides! Hate each side equally.
To assume all Germans were "Nazi" is stupid and ridiculous. While many were Nazi, equally the amount were against the war and had ZERO options..
Same for the Russians..
Not sure if I feel that way for the Japanese tho.. Either way, today's Japanese had nothing to do with it..
Gamer punk The Wehrmacht were highly forbiddin to rape if they raped they were either sent to jail or executed. The ones who did rape were the disgusting communist pigs that destroyed everything.
"Nazis Forced The Germans to join The Army" pathetic
My Grandfather who was a WWII vet died about a year ago, 1 day after he was awarded the French Legion medal. They were a better breed of men than today.
By way far! The golden generation
Salvador Borrazás Yes, and the things going on today here in America, and other parts of the West would not be allowed in their time. And the powers that be know this, and it is why they have waited for a time such as this to do the things they are doing. The men in the American Gov. are not men at all. They are thieves, robbers, and murders. There is no honor in what they do, and they care not what the people think. And this is because the people are weak, and honor less, and spineless. May God have mercy on the nations, and the people's of those nations, and the children of those nations. May the truth prevail.
+John Rider I'm not spineless, I'm not lacking in honor and I'm not weak. I am, however, American. I agree with all of your other comments yet I felt the need to speak up concerning such a generalization. People of other countries do exactly the same thing they've come to detest us for... The same thing they've come to detest ME for. I don't know any of you but strive to give everyone a chance to be their own man in my eyes. I'll stand next to any man, woman or child of any race, nationality, religion, creed, or government if I feel they're fighting for a just cause but I wonder... Will anyone (country, group or solitary person) come to the aide of the American Citizens my countrymen finally wake up and realize we've got to get our country back from the corrupt, tyrannical, soulless individuals running it? Or will I be left to fend for my daughter and myself due to the rest of the world's generalizations of Americans? We're not all cold hearted, greedy, warmongering imbeciles. Some of us are awake, aware and blind to the labels we've all put on each other as a species. As far as I'm concerned you're my brother and friend. May I have the same respect and my country be seen for what it is; an adolescent who need guidance and a hand up instead of negative criticism and a hand out?
+John Rider you got that rite john god bless your grandfather a good man to have gone through that !!!!!
Raymond J He is with God and my Grandmother now. His fight is over. But I will say, as far as I know he was the best man I ever met. So he did just what a Grandfather was suppose to do. Thank you.
An old german soilder once told me "Always be sure to polish the backs of your shoes because thats the last thing people see of you as your walking away" Old Hugo Hopfliecsh might have been on the wrong side in 43, but he was sharp as a tack.
Thats what we need to hear and see. The german soldier side, We need lots interviews with elderly ex german soldiers. Nazis or not. Who cares. A good soldier always does what he’s order to do. And the germans were excellent soldier , no one can denied that. Excellent soldiers
Alek vodka well said. Also, i love ur username
You say Germans were excellent soldiers but they killed innocent people
@@vanillavilla. no country is innocent of that... its war
Nazi killing Jew everyone complain about it Israel killing Palestinian no one talks about it
@@vanillavilla. Every country in the war is guilty of that. The US *firebombed* Japanese cities knowing that the cities were predominantly made of wood. Then there are the atrocities in Nanjing by the Imperial Japanese army. The Chinese had been busy fighting each other for years before fighting the Japanese then went back to fighting each other.
No sides are guilt free in war. It's just that the losing side gets made out to be more guilty than the winning side.
Why the hate for the old man? He didn't start the war. Christ he was probably just some dumb 18-20 year old who was serving his people. You'd be a liar to say you wouldn't have done what he did.
Andrew Sanford he was pretty much forced to be a soldier.
No! He said that he joined volunteerely
Hades Gremory you stupid
in ww2, "Volunteered" means forced... all country, axis and allies do the same... forcing people to be part of his army
and then call it "Volunteer", it's because for propaganda and promotion
Andrew Sanford why would he have been dumb?
My great-grandfather fought in the Afrika Korps alongside Rommel. He then was captured by the French and was kept as an POW. Later, he had to work at a french farm and came back to Germany quite lately in 1948. He never spoke badly about his fights against the British and French forces in Africa and never said a bad word about the people of the farm. He also came back well-fed :)
The other great-grandfather rarely spoke about the war. He fought on the Eastern Front and was hold as an POW, too. He came back in 1946.
Another story i like to tell is, that my grandfather and his friends, he was around 9-10 years old at the end of the war, was being attacked by a French airplane (could have been an American, though) when they were en route to the field. He told, that he saw a column of 5-6 planes in the air and one was coming back and attacked them two times. They were able to jump into the ditch of the road while their ox was shot by the fighterplane.
After the war they found an ammunition dump in the forest near the town and played with the handgrenades. One of his friends lost an arm because he didn't threw the grenade away but instead he threw the bolt away. But he survived. Sometimes I saw the man walking around our town.
So i just wanted to share these little anecdotes with you, so that they maybe never will be forgotten :)
Gravey991 thx for sharing these stories.
My grandfather and his friends also played alot with amunition and grenades.
At this time period after the war, alot of kids got killed by playing with ammo amd stuff like that...
My grandfather was also one of the only survivors of his village, as ge broke his leg and got in the hospital at the other side of the village.
The whole school with students, kids, teachers and parents were on the potatoe field that day. American bombers came and killed them all.
He was one of the only kids who survived that attack.
He told me that he went to the river which he always went to, but he couldnt see it anymore, because of the huge heap of dead people heaped along the river.
He held a dead baby in his arms for hours because he thought he can still save the babys life by keeping it warm...
This day had an huge impact in his life and changed him.
He was 9 back then.
@@vincentsauer99 goddamn
My grandfather lived in a german town in croatia (Yugoslavia). When the war started, a lot of partisans attacked their town and killed 6 men that were defending the town. But then the SS came and saved them so he was brought to Germany where he was later captured by the Russians. He was sent to a camp on the Polisch-Soviet border where he kept his grandad alive by stealing food from the Soviets. Due to the high deathcount in this camp, the Red Cross came and saved his live and the lives of many other family members and friends. But a lot of his family wasnt that lucky, he lost 2 uncles and 3 aunts in Yugoslavian camps and he always wants me to know that the germans werent the only bad guys in the war.
My grandmother's village got burned down by the Germans in the Invasion of Poland, and then right after the Russians started looting the place! There was this one Russian solider who tried to take this baby goat that they owned, and my grandma comes up right behind and shoves him onto the goats shit. She managed to get away by swimming across the river and lived in another village the rest of the war. She was only 14 when she did this. I mean.....I'm 14 and I don't think I'll ever be brave enough to do something like that.
Veterans are veterans
This man was doing his job, his government ordered him to complete a task, his job was to complete that task no matter how he may or may have not felt about it. These were not monsters, they were men...they loved thier families and friends and had just as much to lose as the brave allied soldiers standing across from them.
My Grandad was a Captian in the USAAF, he was 22 and was a Squadron Leader. Flew B-17s over Italy. He lived in Virginia and I grew up in Florida, I moved to Virginia when I was 15, although on the other side of the state. I only saw my Grandad a handful of times. It was always like meeting a stranger. I've always been a "WW2 buff" and always wanted to speak with him about his experiences. I never had the nerve to ask him though. He died in February of 2015. Not long ago my Aunt told me Grandad had asked her one day, when I came up in a conversation and he learned that I loved WW2 history, why I never talked to him about it. I couldn't help but cry. I could have let his memories live on, just like you've done here. I will always regret not talking to the man. All I have are pictures, still moments in time. But I do cherish them.
Iron Gaming I have two ancestors that served in the military, my great uncle in the European theatre in ww2 and another in the Korean War. They both died well before I was born (2001) and I'm a little nervous to ask my Grandma about them. She showed me pictures of them and told me their names and the war they were in nothing else, I would however would like to know more by asking but I'm nervous
@@smockersbruvas11 Ask, just ask. If she doesn't want to share it at that time, she will tell you. In all likelihood though, she's waiting for you to ask or will tell you soon.
If you don't, you'll be stuck wondering what you could've learned for years.
Oh crap the feels.... Now I'm crying too
Listen up, millenials!!!
My great-granduncle was in WW2 and is still alive as of 2019 (he will be 100 in October)
My grand grandfather was a SS Officer, i have no idea what he did in war, because he never spoke to my mom or grandmom about it, but my mom really loved him, because she said he was one of the funniest and kindest person she knew.
I have no idea what he did during war and i will not excuse anything, but he still just was a human with dreams and mistakes like everyone else, not the evil!
War can force good people to do horrific things. my Granddad was a bomber pilot who was involved in the bombing of Dresden, I believe this haunted him until he died, I know the war have a huge impact on him due to stories from my mother(his daughter), but he was perhaps the greatest man I ever knew.
May they rest in peace
Gaphalor indeed. respect brother
People can be charming and nice in their personal life and still be evil.
Elmo Gjoni no i was responding to the neo nazi moron, I didnt mention 9 /11
my grandpa was in WW2 when iam alone with him he always tell me about the war, but strangely he only tells me, not my mum dad or sister. but iam always so excited about what he has to tell..btw iam german
Your grandfather fought the Russians, right?
I find Germans hot! 😛 But people won’t like it
Lucpac De, youre very lucky.
As someone told you already, recieve these stories, let them live through you and teach them to your children.
Never let all of this knowledge and stories die.
sei glücklich so lange du ihn noch hast und er dir geschichten erzählen kann
My grandad was a polish or Ukrainian, he said when the Germans came to his village, they looked like super humans, they knew they was the best soldiers on the planet.
This guy is a WWII veteran. That’s all that matters.
I spoke with a German WWII Soldier when I was stationed in Germany in 89. He was a POW and was sent to Montana and raved about the way he and his fellow soldiers were treated by the Americans. He was an amazing man.
One thing I read recently on Wikipedia was that over 600,000 Europeans not from Germany fought alongside the Germans trying to stop the Communists invading Europe. Norwegian, Spanish, Croatian, Dutch etc, and there was more non German Waffen SS units than German ones. Thats quite amazing, and is never mentioned in TV documentaries etc.
theunknownwarriors There was even a french and arabian ss-brigade.
Romania also fought with the Germans in order to stop the Communists, liberate its territories and occupied population :)
Never use wikipedia for facts. Anyone can sign in and edit stuff.
+theunknownwarriors Albanian and bosnian also
***** Most of the facts that people get from wikipedia is "rubbish". I don't see why people feel the need to TALK IN CAPS, but I digress... I didn't say that the particular article was wrong, I'm stating that in general, using wikipedia for facts is "rubbish". A couple of years ago I edited England's national football teams page for humor and what I edited stayed up for a while before they changed and locked it. For future reference, wikipedia (for the most part) is unreliable for overall facts.
My neighbor was Estonian. She spoke of the German Soldiers with the utmost respect. They were content when the Germans moved into the area. When the Russians moved in and pushed the Germans back, they made her fiance watch them rape her then they made her watch as they kill her fiance. When the Russians got pushed back again, she and other townspeople were snuck out on a German boat before the Russians retook the line. After Germany lost, she came to America as a refugee. This is fact and still brought her to tears so many years later.
Sean Gueco sorry, messed that up. They made him watch them rape her, then killed him. Pretty much a worst nightmare. They were very well off, so that made thrm a target.
***** I understand that. I have nothing against Russians, Germans, etc. It's our stupid leaders that suck, along with the rest of the government. I just wanted to put the German soldiers in a good light for a change. Germany has a very long and proud history, but all anyone ever judges them on is one 15 year period out of a millennium of proud history.
+Jkep Ihanc
Why blame "mongols"? True, the Red Army was multinational, yet as far as I know Mongol people helped us to battle the fascist Japan in the Far East and on the Western fronts the Mongolian help was mostly with material and horses, not soldiers. Actually, our Mongolian allies' help came just as helpful as the Anglo-American lend-lease. So please don't mar the Mongol name right away, there could be immoral soldiers of any ethnicity and of Asian origin, yes, but blaming "Eastern nomads" first off - that seems to me like a bit too much like racist propaganda left-over in some minds.
+Matthew B This is why millions of refugee's fell with the Germans. It's a forgotten fact of history. When the Russians came to a town emptied they automatically claimed the Nazis murdered everyone but oddly enough most just didn't want to be under Russian Rule again. The Nazis had almost as meany refugee camps as they did concentration camps by the end of the war for example, for the flocks of people fleeing westward.
At the end of the war the US and UK forcefully migrated millions back to Eastern Europe, a large percent of which ended up becoming victims of Stalin. As anyone who fled Russian occupation were considered enemies by the Soviets.
Those that were not forcefully migrated ended up separated from the rest of their families for decades following the cold war. It's sad how many Jewish families were separated for example. They were having post cold war reunions which Jews who thought their entire families were murdered were in fact still alive, just stuck on the other side of the Iron curtain.
fireson23 well one document I saw said that "My men are making use of these German women, they don't even understand our language you just point your gun and shout lay down" now I'm not trying to say the Soviets were like barbaric men who pillaged and raped but some of them who usually were in the frontline were tired and needed pleasure
There are so many people acting like he's evil.
You don't now him.
For all you know he got drafted.
You all act like being German in the 40s is a sin.
True
And if they listen for more than five seconds he straight up said “no the Nazis were off doing their own thing” Straight up telling them that they were two different parts
He still looks & holds himself like a solider.
Is this man still alive? Time is running out to converse with these heroes.
@@user-td6rb
Very much a hero
For some reason he still looks like 60 year old vietnam war participant
@@user-td6rb Absolutely.
F. W. Sauerteig hero???
@@Rgbartocci yes hero, what part did you not fucking get?
" You had the big gun, 88 millimetres you can shoot anything with it... only one shot...that's it. no hokas pokas. " hahahahaha
"i drove into the Russian" oh wow that was a epic move back in germany 1945's
"I sometimes looked at these young men I killed, they were my age, I couldn't help but think in a different world at a different time, we could of been good friends."
- my Great Grandfather who was a WW2 vet
I am a very patriotic American, but hearing other sides of the story is so interesting to me. No I don't have any hatred toward this man what so ever, I'm sure if I were to meet any other Nazi soldier and hear his stories, I'd need a big bag of popcorn. I mean for real though, many German soldiers were fighting for their country.
WHOS YO DADDY 8 and not all were Nazis
For real though. In cases of the German Officers, their service to Germany stems from the old Prussian Empire days and the historical significance of their service to their family more so than their country. Field Marshall's like Guderian, Manstien, and Rommel (I consider them the 4 Horsemen with Paulus) did not and could not know early on what was happening in Germany when they were busy in France, Russia, or in Rommel's case- Africa. Yet once they found the truth they advocated for Hitler's arrest and immediate trial. These men did not, AT the end, fight for Hitler but for Germany's right to survive and exist as a nation. I emphasize the word AT rather than IN because they did in fact swear oaths to Hitler which probably should've been their first clue that shit was about to go sideways. That however, is with the benefit of hindsight. The Whermact wasn't the most technologically superior, they didn't always have what they needed; particularly in Africa, but they were fierce, they were determined, they made everyone pay for every yard that was taken and I would like to believe that had they known what was happening and been in a position to do something about it, they would have. Even units of the SS knew better.
WHOS YO DADDY 8 it was seen as a movement to make Germany whole again
I think you should look up the real history about WII, they literally defeated the wrong enemy. Go watch the best story never told.
WHOS YO DADDY 8 that's a German soldier... not a Nazi solider, why you Americans can't kern this. makes me sad :(
I'd love to meet with him and talk to him. He seems like a cool guy. I have uncles that fought in WW2 and sacrificed a lot for America during the war, but I'd still love to talk to this man.
Murica ? ... Sacrificed ...
***** You are ignorant to think that in my uncle's mind he knew he wasn't fighting for people's freedom. Whatever the political agenda that was trying to be pushed, the soldiers had nothing to do with it. And I don't care what you think because you're a loony conspiracy theorist.
You wouldn't have the balls to fight in Guam, Tinian, Saipan, and Okinawa like my uncle did. All you are good for is shouting about how Bush did 9/11.
+AdanRaiser japan is bigger than Florida 0_0
+ROro TheFlyingGamer :/ and you don't understand a shit.. dont you?
Everyone: Stop hating on this old man. He was just fighting for his country!
Me: desperately Trying to find comments that hate on him
Same!!!
Go to the replies of a comment . You will find a lot of people thinking he was a nazi
@@vivaan7653 you know damn well those idiots that didn’t even watch the video He straight up separated himself from the Nazis
You can see the joy on his face that an "enemy" cares and is listening to his story.
Ally vets went through unimaginable hell and have been rightfully venerated as heroes since the war. Imagine going through the same horror and coming back to called the worst evil the world has ever known. Truth is they were both just kids put through things that no kid should ever have to see and hopefully by giving them both the chance to tell their stories no kid will again.
The germans were very brave and good soldier. Real hereos. God bless them!
+PoorSong I bet you antifascist are so much more brave.
+Mio Naganohara I'm anti nazi. Fascism is a completely different social system. 'Brave' and disciplined germans staged two world wars and burned, hanged, stabbed to death millions and millions of women, children, old people ...
+Luke Baez
These heroes have chosen Hitler democratically. These heroes attacked USSR and killed 27 million. More than 13 million of them - civilians. Heroes were burned, hanged, slaughtered civilians. Have died 15% of German POWs and 56% of Russians.
More numbers, cretin?
Russian now have the right to convert all Europeans in clouds of stinking smoke. It will happen very soon , Im sure.
+Nationalstolz2012 Russian civilians died because the Germans killed them, it's simple. Just killed. Russian were burnt alive, hanged, expelled from their homes in the winter, starved to death. Who could, he ran away, who do not have time, he often was doomed.
It's not some sort of "tactics of stalin," it was a strategy of the germans - the destruction of all russian. It saves a lot of documents that confirm this truth. This strategy also was performed by "brave German soldiers."
By the way, the destruction of russian POWs, you also explain the "tactics of Stalin"? I attribute this to the fact that the germans, it is immoral animals.
+PoorSong do have some guidlines and manual how you comment here? You surely can't believe that yourself. How much do they pay you for one comment? 50 rubles?
I wish I could meet a veteran like this, that'd be awesome
I'm so grateful I'm able to talk with my great uncle who piloted a landing craft during ww2. Australian navy during the Pacific theatre
TheBasicYankee Haha all i can talk about is my family smugglig german soldiers and weaponry through Scandinavia.
many german/austrian ww2 vets, like my grandfather, dont talk about the war. my grandfather would never do that. His 2 borthers died in the war and when he was 16 the nazis came and wanted him for the so called "Volkssturm" to fight. They hided him on the haystacks. My other grand-grandfather was in stalingrad. Lost an eye but he survived. They would never talk about that. And im also too afraid to ask them.
Have always wondered how these old men managed to live on after their (often) extremely brutal experiences. And besides the PTSD, imagine the extreme and lifelong tinnitus they probably all suffer from. Months or years of shooting and explosions necessarily must have completely ruined their hearing.
I met one man who was a Vietnam vet and he loved everything about America. I was 21 years old and had to get away from home for a bit, new environment so I could get my life together, basically.
There were some nice ladies who welcomed me and told me the ins and outs of the place, helped me with my suitcase and bag of food, all that. I was on the second floor where there was an open balcony right outside of my room and two doors down was a rough looking guy, aged skin, smoking a cigarette. I asked one of the ladies who that man was and they said, ''That's Vin. He's been here a long time. He's not a big talker and doesn't like to talk too much about Vietnam.''
I stayed for a few weeks and came out one day with a bag of laundry. Vin was outside, leaning on the rail and just looking out. Before I headed downstairs, he spoke. I'll never forget the conversation:
''You know, I stand outside your room at night. Crazy part of town no kid needs to be in and you're too young for trouble like the people that go by here. I got a feeling about you when I saw those tags around your neck (my grandfather's dog tags from the war)''
I put my bag by my door and went over to him. He didn't look at me. ''My grandfather..he and his brother were in the navy during '45. They were both Slovenian and at risk of deportation. I don't want to forget...he's not here anymore.''
''You got respect most kids..and I'd say you look 18..kids don't have. Sometimes I wondered if it was worth it.Then I see you.''
''Some ladies told me you were in Vietnam. Was it bad?''
''Bad enough that I get nightmares too often, boy. All that death and people suffering is still here.'' He tapped his head. ''I still see it.''
''If it's any consolation for you, sir, I appreciate what you've done for us and I thank you for your service. It means a lot to me.''
He finally looked at me and his eyes were so old, it was like looking at a person who lived a thousand years. He took a moment before speaking, this time quietly, ''When I got that feeling about you and seein' those things around your neck, I wanted to protect...that's why I stand outside your door at night..to look out for ya. Seeing a young face like yours and the respect you have...makes me feel like what I did was all worth it.''
"King Tiger, that was quite a machine" you can hear that he is still impressed by the tank, with some amazement in his voice. Very touching to hear that. He's still young in his soul.
Dude, been studying ww2 for years now, and what an honour it would be to meet a veteran that saw combat, it would be a dream come true!
Dear comment section,
Please learn the difference between nazi and German soldiers
Yes!
What difference? Germans were Nazis. Nazis were German. There was no such thing as Nazi nation. They were germans, who believed in nazi ideology.
+Dave Batista Germans were Germans. Nazis were Nazis that were from Germany. Not all Germans then we're Nazis. Learn about history before you criticize these men
Nathan Hoagland Nazis were freaking German! German were freaking nazis. Germans invaded Poland in 1939. Germans who believed in nazi ideology. There was no such thing as Nazi nation.
+Dave Batista Dude I never said that there was such a thing called a Nazi nation. Calm down
Captured 3 times by Russians and he's still alive? This man is Jesus. They killed most of their pow's relatively quickly
My grand grand father was captured by the russians and saw his 41 comrades starve to death while he only survived because he was a good tailor and made suits for the soviet camp leader.
really ? Can you tell us more?
Did you ever had the chance to interview him ?
unfortunately i didnt, he died way before i got born. he also never talked about it after he got released, the only thing he left was a letter to his family describing everything he experienced in the war and the time in the soviet pow camp.
player 4
well did your family make this letter public? This is history it might interest a lot of people
P Mo I'm russian and my grandfather told me he liberated captured german soldier when he showed him a photo of his wife and children.
It's interesting to hear the German side of the war, we don't get to hear that everyday and in some cases understanably so.
"There are many people being negative about this German man"
Every top comment is this. No one is saying negative things about him. Okay.
Lobster Johnson there are more comments complaining about bad comments then there is bad comments
Thanks for the upload ! It's good to hear accounts of bothsides My Grandpa was in the 3rd Canadian army as a Lance bombardier (Artillary) at once point in the war he was shot in the arm And in a field hospital made friends with a German solider laying in bed next to him The solider did not speak english and my Grandpa didn't speak German But the both spoke French They both talked about home and the first thing they would have for dinner The German : My mother makes a great soup with fish and dill and potatos ! If you ever come to Hamburg she will make you a plate. My Grandpa said : Chicken with mash potatos and peas and gravy and a pint of beer If you come to Northern Ontairo you will see moose and Bears while we fish...German : I would like that every much. What my Grandfather didn't know was the German was hit in by shrapel and the force smashed his body He was bleeding inside still..The solider "Fell asleep" and never woke up..This was the story i was told when i was young ..Grandpa passed away when i was 15... Years later I took out some old photo albums And many black and white pictures One caught my eye Picture of a house Signed : Achen family home Hamburg 1946 On the next page of the Photo album a piece of paper with writing : Mecklenburger Fischsuppe (Mecklenburg Fish Soup)
6 potatoes diced 4 onions 1 small head white cabbage5 tbsp olive oil 1/2 cup vegetable broth 1-1/8 lbs cod Dorsch 5 tbsp flour 1 cup milk dill 2 bay leaves salt and pepper
I called my Mom and told her what i found ..She said Your grandfather flew back to Germany after the war and found the home and the mother and gave her Her son's watch He kept it because it would of been stolen from him otherwise It was a gift from his father that died in a bombing My grandfather talked about "Otto" and the last moments She was Sad and happy the two met He then went all over Hamburg looking for the items for the soup and alittle more for her after he left.. She made it for him and had told him ..Thank you for giving me the last moments No one ever told me how he died or what happen I always dreaded he was hurt and suffered in a field somewhere alone Please take this recipe
That made me cry 😭😭
What a story!
I'm going to make this soup. My grandfather was Infantry WW2, and I worked with many WW vets: Pacific Navy, Okinawa infantry, Airborne in Italy. All GREAT men. And a very good friend for many years was born during bombing in Berlin, his mother was Hitler youth and his father an officer in SS. His mom at 82 made some traditional cookies once....HOLY COW were they incredible. What a waste of beautiful human beings , animals, buildings and resources WW2 was.
That touched me quite unexpectedly! Amazing what sharing a story can do to a person
Care to share the recipe instructions? Awesome story ...Thank God Otto's mom got comfort...
A lot of people don't realize that a lot of the German soldiers were drafted.. they didn't have a choice, but they also had to fight to support their families and lives.
Joseph Hyson and like everyone, they figh to protect their country
Joseph Hyson I know. That’s why I get annoyed at people who say “he was a soldier he is bad” all because they were forced.
The vast majority was drafted. Imagine having to fight for a cause you might even oppose. But even if you're on the wrong side, what you're really fighting for is your life and the lives of your comrades.
PLVS VLTRA what were they protecting their country from exactly? Themselves?
xXxGnuVirusxXx If you fight war, you are always protecting your country. That’s no magic
No matter what side you’re on, a soldier that fights for his country has my respect. This man is just like every other old WW2 vet who was drafted at a young age and did what he was told. His experiences and wisdom is just as important as an American WW2 vet. I wish I could meet every one of them, sit down and talk about their time in the war, and the role they played.
I would’ve been so happy to ask a Japanese vet what it was like to put a bayonet through a baby!
@@JadenFolster me too!
Fantastic memories from this gallant soldier and good man. I could listen to him speak for hours.
Thanks.
This is awesome. Nice you got to visit with him. Seems like a nice old guy.
andrew martin the Soviet Army killed 80% of Nazis but unfortunately they didn't get everyone of them
The German's had by far the best military, they were just simply out numbered.
Mathew Willis No German engineering of the time was far superior.
Mathew Willis The term is ooutnumberif they have more men and guns, out gunned means the guns were better. Thanks for your time Mathew.
Mathew Willis Why just be satisfied being wrong?
Mathew Willis Alright you limey what do you think and effective soilder at that time period had at that time, that's right a gun. So the allies outnumbered the axis. But the outgunned the Allies with superior firepower, yet less numbers. Two different terms. Are you starting to understand? Christ...
Mathew Willis jesus christ, you're obviously not a troll. it's so obvious you just realized you were wrong and now you're scrambling to regain some sort of weight for your argument
Hes a cool ass Grandpa. Makes me miss mine. He was a Staff Sargent in the Marines during WW2. He was at the battle of Midway.
"We have defeated the wrong enemy"~ Patton
Baruch will be the most common name in Hell!
Churchill did want to bomb the Soviets in maybe September 1945, right after the war.
I think sometimes that we truly did defeat the wrong enemy.
The eastern Europe literally fought for their existence and this general said that "we have defeated the wrong enemy" at the end of war? don't make me laugh
@@darkknightbatman8269 Yes indeed they fought for their existence against the Soviets. Especially the Baltic states and Ukraine. Pretty much every country from the Eastern Bloc. I'll concede Poland got the short end of the stick as they were ganged by both the Germans and Russians. The Western powers started war over it and what did they do at the end? Betrayed Poland and left her to the commies.
My Oma (Dutch) was little when she lived in occupied Holland during the war. SHE WOULD NEVER of thought that the Germans were evil nazi bastards until she heard about these so called "War Crimes" after the war. She said that the hardest part of the war was the shortages in food, she was always hungry. She also mentioned that the German soldiers had a good relationship with the Dutch, During the war her father owed a carpentry factory and sometimes German soldiers would come in and use the machines and afterwards give her family some food to say thx. She also told me about this other time nearly at the end of the war (march april 1945?), when the German troops were retreating out of Holland. One German troop was left in a small town waiting to be picked up and came into her house to talk to my Oma's family. He showed them a key and said that this was the only thing that he had left of his home in Germany because it had been bombed to pieces by allied air raids.
Don't call them evil ...
***** It doesn't matter if the average soldier had good manners or not. It matters what the SS, the Gestapo and the Stab were planning and did.
Yaobu Ran And just what do you think they did?
The Germans committed some pretty barbaric war crimes too, don't just pin it on the Soviets. However most of the soldiers from both Armies were honorable men.
***** Funny thing is that Dutch only speak about the bombing Rotterdam, while other cities were bombed as well. The city Vlissingen was even the city that was bombed most during the entire war of all cities of The Netherlands. On the 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th and 15th of may Vlissingen was bombed by the Germans. After the capitulation the allies started bombing Vlissingen. During the war the city was bombed a total of 71 times. After the war there was only one home in the entire city that was not damaged by bombs. All these bombings were strategically important, so was the bombing of Rotterdam. There is a reason these bombings are not considered as warcrimes. Bombing happens during a war, that's the sad truth.
About the warcrimes in Putten, I really doubt every wehrmacht soldier agreed with that and probably only the soldier who were there at the moment knew about it. And by the way. How are you so sure the civilians were aryan? And if they were why did you even mention it?
My grandfather was also a SS Soldier, my grandmother said, he screams&cryed a lot when he slept.
But he never talked to us..
CrazyTill My grand father was a teen while over there and joined the Korean war to get citizenship. Over in Europe he's told me fucked up stories about family killing family and friends out of fear. He has never slept good and always wakes up and patrols his house. He say bodies stacked up at least 2 stories high and saw a lil girl get blown up by a mortar he's seen executions. I have like 20 hrs of his life story that he recorded
Jason Crooked Yea.. but mine never talked to us..
But also a reason for this was, my father got disinherited because he didn't ask him if he could marry my mom..
Vladimir Makarov Yes he was in Russian war captivity.. So one out of 3 survived..he said one time.
A fellow said to him, he should torn off the SS-logo from his uniform, or he would get executed..
Sorry for my English I am young.
Stutts No it wasn't you idiot. They had the same tasks like the Wehrmacht at the Front but only in areas with alot of action. They just acted more cruler!
Now, shut up and inform yourself!
Stutts mainly the Security Police (Gestapo&Kripo) killed the Jews!
I love this guy. I could listen to his stories all day.
As we all know that it is always the victors who write their historic version of any war, which is why it's very important that we listen to the stories of ordinary soldiers from both sides as this is where the true story resides. I feel fortunate to hear from this veteran and really hope to hear more from him soon. Thank You for this!
My great grandfather served in the MP during WW2, he lived in Narvik, a place up in the north part of Norway that got hit hard by the Germans, as he told me his most disturbing moments, when i found a German guard at a guard post frozen to death, looked like a teenager, he just sat there, he also killed a German, shot in the lower back close range, he said at the time he didn't think much about it, the adrenaline and the survival instinct kicked in, but there was a moment during this tragedy briefly after he shot him, he sat down on his knees, all confused and dizzy, it's against all logic and rationality to shot and kill someone that probably has a family at home and that didn't do anything to harm you, he didn't speak about it much, i can count on my hands of how many times he did, usually after some drinks,.
He also added that he has no hate towards the Germans, and he felt saddened after all those years, thinking about that young man who had his life ended, men who was sent to war little to know what to come, heck there are plenty of evidence that shows German and Norwegian forces staying together to stay warm and help each other to stay alive during the war, imagine all those unofficial stories that never saw the light.
@Tony G how is this person a hypocrite
Well the Germans never wanted to take over Norway.Sweden was giving Germany resources,to stop this the Allies tried to go to Norway and mined their waters,so Hitler ordered his soldiers to occupy Norway so that the Allies can't do anything further and to keep his supply of resources
@Tony G hypocrite*
Dumbass.
@@1m073zh the germans never wanted to go to war with norway? why would sweden give resources to the germans??
@@erxfav3197 What do you mean why?For profit of course. Sweden and Norway were profiting from selling to the Germans,they made money from that.The Brits demanded that they stop but they refused because they had no intention of getting involved in their political games,so the Brits started sending their troops and destroying and German ships nearby.The Germans noticed this and then attacked the allies and occupied Norway to stop the British influence and keep their resources secure.
Thanks for uploading. I'm German and my grandfather was a POV in Norway, he never talked about the war, at all and I never even dared asking him out of respect. It's really great I get the chance to listen to this witness's account.
German soldiers are brave and strong Live long!!!
They lost jaja
@@leonelchavez6747 You lost too
A Realist lost on what
@@leonelchavez6747 Lost a War against the biggest Nations from every direction
and have withstood despite the outnumbered enemies and the first lost war.
@@user-kj2rd7bk9y shut the fuck up racist
You know a German means business when he says "Hocus Pocus"
History is written by Victor.. Victor Thompson on 22nd East street.
DonNachozTV HA
Ironically a quote by Walter Benjamin who died on the run from the Nazis. Well at least the first half.
Kassidy Millo first half of what?
Kassidy Millo what?
"History is written by the victor". I don't know who Victor Thompson is
same haircut since the reich haha 👌
E W shut the fuck up you degenerate head ass. Show some respect he fought a war which is hell I'm sure if you were fighting in a war you would be shitting yourself.
E W I can't respect a Beta male
E W no u
E W Are you bald, maybe?
E W where do you live give me your adress you lil punk ass
I maintain: if the world was just kinder to Germany in the 19th century, and accepted its genius and thoroughness, and the fact of shifting powers on the world scene, all the misery of 2 world wars did not need to happen. There was to much egotism, aspecially in good ol' Britain.
In reality, I believe we owe a lot to Germany.
Right, the English were always jealous of Germany.
@Osman Carrim I just couldn't believe how could Germany recover from a lost world war and a global great depression and make probably 4 countries fear Germany note I'm egyptian
@Osman Carrim well said
Your rationalization for murdering 10 million of their own citizens because countries were not playing patty cake with the Germans. LOL, go salute your reproduction nazi flag.
@@Anti-leftist7777 He's talking about how unfair the Allies were after WW1 when they for example demanded Germany to pay ridiculous amount of war reparations from a war they didnt even start themselves.
That eventually led to WW2 but thats not the point here. The Allies pretty much gave seeds to Germany's agressive rebirth because of those unjustified demands Allies made them after WW1.
Honestly, it couldve easily been possible that if UK, US, France etc wouldve been much more forgiving about WW1, WW2 wouldve never happened.
"I hate war as only a soldier who has lived it can, only as one who has seen its brutality, its stupidity." - Dwight D. Eisenhower
I'm sure this man can relate.
german soldiers,the ones that did not commit war crimes,were the best soldiers in the world,period.They cunducted the best counter attacks in history all the while most of the time after stalingrad being outnumbered,also they could mount fighting retreats like no other army could under the worst of circumstances both tatctically and strategically so they have nothing to be ashamed off or feel guilty about if they just were there to fight and the overwhelming majority were.
Bro the german army lost the war because they could not afford a two front war with the limited resources they had,hell in terms of oil,wood,ect the us had virtually unlimited amounts of resources long before they fought ww2,germany on the other hand had been economically destroyed during ww1 and the depression,ww2 came just hecause of this,the german needed both living space and the resources of countries like Romania for the oil they needed ect.From 1943 after stalingrad the germans were practically on the diffence because the heavy strategic bombings destroying germam manufacture,cities ect.So to maintain the fronts holding for the time that they did,its testimony to the capabilities of its soldiers and officers and equipment that were all of best in the world quality but not in the best quantity.Imagine the german army in 1943,with 10,000 panthers,5000 tigers 1/2 & 10000 panzer 4s in front line Sweerpunkt forces,and have reserves of 20000 more all types it comes to tank park of 40,000 tanks,the us and russia had 100,000 btwn them 100,000+,T-34s/ Shermans,do the math.German generals were all professional and gave their non comms complete freedom of movement and choosing of routes to aprroach a target.Their tank had fm radios,russians didn't have as much as a intercomm on their T-34s.So like i said the germans know battle and in ww2 made miracles where other better equipped but under trained soldiers would have died or be captured in encirclement after encirclement
amoredfist yeah but to be fair us tanks were better than german tanks
Ben Clark
lol what? tiger 2 , panther 1+2 was lightyears ahead of anything the us had to offer. the limiting factor was the ressources. they couldnt make good steel in the end and the lack of gas was horrible.
amoredfist those tanks sure had a big gun and heavy armor, but they broke down alot. Just because they could win in a tank battle doesnt mean they were effective. The sheman was a fast reliable tank that was great for offensive attack across europe. it was way more reliable and effective, which is more important for judging the better tank.
Ben Clark
reliability had to do with the lack of resources buddy. any fight the tigers had been in they fucked up everything. and the panther wsnt unreliable at all, that was all about the engine of the tiger h. the sherman can be compared to the panzer 4 h, which itself was an old design but still effective. the sherman was more of a light tank, no match for the panther or tiger.
He is like a Confederate soldier, he fought because he was asked to answer a call, not because he was a "Bad guy"
@@EusebiusAT most of the Confederates didn't even owned no slaves
@@EusebiusAT www.abbevilleinstitute.org/blog/slavery-and-the-war-2/
@@EusebiusAT you're telling me the article I sent you is wrong when you have no idea what it's about lol I see how it is somebody that wants to talk positive about the Civil War in the South they're automatically wrong maybe you need to understand that Victor's writes the history. And send me a Wikipedia link is the most laughable thing I've ever seen being that half of the stuff on there is false information that also includes the shit that schools and colleges teach
@@EusebiusAT glad to know that you're probably a liberal
@@EusebiusAT I know what a liberal is wants to destroy our history destroy our culture and that's what you are. you don't want to reason with anything any information that somebody send you automatically tell them they're wrong just because once again if it's something positive about the southern side they're there racist which makes you more like a Nazi
RIP Manfred Gellersen 1922-2020
"The greatest story never told"
We don’t like that narrative
A must watch if you want to know truth.
Inglejuice just because one side said so doesn’t make it true . Many things don’t make sense the way their told , I can conclude that just by listening to the allies stories
Inglejuice I love when I get that canned response from some1 who says they read , that’s the real propaganda
Inglejuice Jesus isn’t real either but I bet u got that outta ur books also . It’s funny when u have nothing to say u start insulting . Don’t just read the bs propaganda they been feeding u since birth , read all of it and if it still doesn’t make u change ur mind , a mirror is better suited for the comment u made
Most interesting thing about my life, My Grandfather was a Nazi in WWII on my father side and on my mother side my Grandfather was a marine in WWII. They were actually friends after the war. I would give anything to see them both again.
German soldier not nazi
+DarthRambo nope he was a Nazi he didn't hide it
+DarthRambo Nazi is the ruling political party. unless he joined that, he was just a member of the wehrmacht.
He was a member of the Nazi party. Keep in mind its not like he was one only one. This isn't as uncommon as you think.
Dude_piston88 yeah it was a large party.
Damn I miss my grandfather :( he used to tell me story’s about the war all the time :( and back in school while I was studying ww2 at school he once stayed up all night and wrote me a 15 page acount of his experiences during the war to take in :(
Great video. My grandpa and I used to talk a lot about his Navy experience in WWII. I never thought once to record him as he was telling his stories... That would have been really nice to go back and listen to.
German engineering was so good.
Ross Dow Nothing special.
they were REALLY smart scientists. i can only imagine what they were working on.
v3
German engineering > American engineering
It's still good. Zermans pack some mad scientists.
the thing is alot of people don't understand is that most of these German solders had to join or they would die
+Jam not really most sine up because they wanted to fight. all had different reasons
thats true and the propaganda made the German soldiers think they were doing the right thing
Jacob Imig you just explained allied soldiers there mate
They didint die.
+Jam They weren't forced to join until the final days of the war. Anything else was purely volunteering
My grandfather on my moms side was a German soldier, my dads side an American soldier. When they got to drinking and talking to each other it was really neat as a kid to listen to. They each had the utmost respect for one another, and it showed. In fact I think there were very few men they respected more, if any.
Respect to for this man.
Respect to all soldiers of whatever country. Some are truly terrible people but most soldiers are just people fighting for what they believe in
Gaming Joker Don't you mean they are just fighting for what their government believes in?
Gaming Joker thank you someone who understands that
They said that jews isn't real people, thats the reason why they killed them.
Gaming Joker sometimes they are pulled form their house at a young age and forced to be trained to fight
Gaming Joker If only they would fight for what they know